0154_Retention of Judges – when in doubt, vote not to retain – Donna Jack

When we first moved to Colorado after my husband’s Air Force career, I immediately got involved in law-making in Colorado. At that time I was home schooling two of our sons, and knew that I had to be connected with Treon Goossen (she died this year). Treon had worked with Senator Al Meiklejohn and Representative Bill Owens, to create the best home school law in the country at that time. When we arrived in Colorado, their home school law was brand new.

YEARS STUDYING LEGISLATION–LEARNED TO VOTE “NO” FOR JUDGE RETENTION
(IF I DIDN’T HAVE DETAILS)

I have continued to keep up on legislation (study bills), and lobby when necessary, though not as much as in the 1980s and 1990s.

During those years I became familiar with a lot of people at the Capitol. One was an attorney who had dropped out of the American Bar Association, because of their unconstitutional positions. Because he ended his membership in the American Bar Association, he was then free to honestly lobby — following his own conscience — even when he disagreed with the American Bar Association.

I used to ask him how to vote for judges, and he d him how to vote for judges, he would tell me that it was always best to vote NO for retention for ALL of them, if I didn’t know for certain that a judge was one that followed the constitution. He repeated that advice to me several election cycles.

Then in more recent history Matt Arnold started “Clear the Bench” in Colorado. He has told me the same thing — if I haven’t done my homework on the judges, vote NO for each judge (voting against retaining them in their positions).

I haven’t done my homework on judges yet this year, so I plan to vote NO across the board, unless after studying I decide some judges appear to have been doing a great job – respecting our U.S. and Colorado Constitutions.

If after studying and my position changes, I will update this post and let you know what I have found.

NOTE: This is one good reason NOT to vote early. You might get good information that would change an earlier vote – and if you have mailed or hand-carried it in, you are out of luck.